Yankees 2012 9th round draft pick: Derek Varnadore

With their ninth round draft pick (307th overall) in the MLB amateur draft, the Yankees selected Derek Varnadore, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound right handed pitcher from Auburn.

Varnadore, a 21-year-old senior, was initially drafted in the 17th round of the 2011 draft by the Florida Marlins. It doesn’t sound like his decision not to sign with the Marlins was purely about money though. He was eligible for the draft after he left Chattahoochee Valley Community College and before he transferred to Auburn, but didn’t get selected after he made it clear to scouts that he wanted to pitch in the SEC. After being drafted by the Marlins, he also talked about how much he liked pitching there and said he didn’t necessarily know if he would sign a contract.

Instead he returned to serve as the ace of an underwhelming Auburn team and went 4-7 with a 4.93 ERA, 63 strikeouts and 30 walks in 87.2 innings. Those numbers were down from his junior year where he had a 3.68 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 88 innings.

Not a lot about his stuff out there except that he has a fastball that sits in the low-90’s and tops out at about 93-94 mph.